EthnicMajority

(TalkTVWorld) A poll released today by NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo revealed a deep split in the opinions of white Americans and Hispanic Americans on the topics of immigration, the Arizona law and American politics. More than six in 10 Americans (61%) back Arizona’s controversial new immigration law, including 70% of whites but just 31% of Hispanics. Less than half (43%) of whites agree that immigration strengthens America, but the majority (68%) of Hispanics believe it does strengthen the nation.

Obama’s overall approval rating in the poll stands at 48%. But the divide exists here, too: Only about a third (38%) of whites approve of the president’s job, versus two-thirds (68%) of Hispanics who do. Similarly, only about a third (34%) of whites have a favorable view of the Democratic Party, versus more than half (54%) of Hispanics who do.

But the one thing all seem to agree on is their disapproval of President Obama’s handling of immigration reform — just 32% of the public approves of his job on this issue.

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Tip O’Neil famously said that “all politics is local”. I’m beginning to wonder whether his quote needs to be updated to account for the political strategies being deployed in the Obama era.

They started during the Presidential campaign, with attempts to create racial animosity from African American Reverend Jeremiah Wright, to questioning whether Obama was a Muslim, to doubting whether he is a legitimate U.S. citizen. The “birther” movement continues in spite of clear evidence that Obama is a U.S. citizen and that it is a hoax.

The attempt to reform the healthcare system is the latest example of taking perhaps the most important issue of our time, and reducing it to a fight along racial lines encouraged by enough mainstream Republicans to keep the insanity movement going.

To believe in this movement, you would have to believe that Obama: a) is a socialist, communist, and Nazi, b) is a racist and hates white people, and c) wants the government to make all of your medical decisions for you

You would also have to believe that the health insurance companies always put your best interests first, leave medical decisions to you and your doctor, and aren’t interested in making a profit.

If these are your true beliefs, you need to a psychiatric evaluation, assuming your insurance company doesn’t reject the claim.
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After Barack Obama became the country’s first African American President, I wrote on the Blog that we shouldn’t jump the gun on assuming America had become a color-blind society. Maybe I was wrong.

According to a New York Times public opinion poll, two thirds of the public feel that race relations are generally good, up 25% since last July. The percentage of African Americans answering affirmatively doubled during the same time period.

Obama’s election has accomplished what no affirmative action program ever could – convincing the public that diversity might actually be a good thing. Whereas much of the public views affirmative action a modern version of forced integration, Obama was the public’s choice.

Just as the Cosby show in the 80’s portrayed African Americans in counter-stereotypical way, Obama’s performance in the world’s toughest job and the class of the Obama family on display for all the world to see has definitely opened a lot of eyes. And a lot of minds.

Ethnicmajority politics page.